Elk in the Woods

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Time Out says

3 out of 5 stars

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(10)

1 out of 5 stars

Time Out says

3 out of 5 stars

Having started out as a bar, the Elk presents more of a gastro face during busy lunchtimes, but regulars to this Camden Passage haunt aren’t discouraged from ordering up a Cucumber Martini (with Hendrick’s gin, £8) or Tobia Rioja and occupying a wooden table for a while. Martinis, seven in number (Polish with Zubrówka Bison Grass vodka, Watermelon & Basil with Pinky vodka) dominate the cocktail list, but you’ll also find zingy options such as a Grapefruit Mojito (with Matusalem Classico and fresh mint) or the Elderflower Fizz (with Buffalo Trace bourbon). Draught beers include Sagres, Kronenbourg and Theakston’s ale, with bottled Moretti, Corona and Asahi alongside, and those pregnant or driving have a few non-alcoholic cocktails to choose from: the Orange & Ginger Zing (orange juice, freshly squeezed lemon, ginger ale) hits the spot. Elk in the Woods is also a place for a quality breakfast, with the likes of duck egg with asparagus, sausage and toast dippers, and over-the-top sandwiches: veal doorstep, or rare breed lamb burger in torteno roll with grilled courgette and mint jelly.

I would like the two lady owners to come visit me so I can tell them that the staff they currently have running their business is doing them a big disservice. I was utterly appalled at the treatment I received while dining at the Elk in the Woods, the waitress was so rude, the food was so bland and the manager was so void of any customer service skills that he would be better off working as a data inputer with no interaction with people. I have the Angelic flower co in Islington high street, have done for many years, I am also a local resident and I will not recommend this place to anyone. I am however advising all my customers on how bad an evening I had and redirecting them to much better establishments. Please avoid this place it cost me £111.00 to be insulted and I don't want anyone else enduring that kind of treatment. I have enjoyed many varieties of cuisine in many establishments and will recommend loads of places but please avoid this. I would be more than happy to explain my eventful evening to the owners or even pop in and work for a day to show the staff how customers deserve to be treated. To the manager, contempt is not a good trait and to express utter fury and rudeness to a complaint is not on.

The service was terrible, the food was sub-standard, as was the wine and cocktails. It is the wrong side of shabby chic and feels quite grotty inside and the toilets were a state. Its a shame, great location and potential but obviously in the wrong hands. Wish I had paid more attention to the previous reviews before visiting.

The place and decoration is great but the service is so bad I wanted to write this review to advise people not to bother going. Really, don't. Sometimes we are very harsh with places, but some other times this advise will save you a disappointment.

Well, the queue for The Breakfast Club was long, it was raining and our stomachs were grumbling loudly. So me and my friend hedged our bets and went here. Yes, the service was curt but it did seem fairly efficient. I made a very lame joke and the waitress smiled, so I knew that all was not lost. Our food was good and we didn't have to wait too long for it. My friend had a bacon butty and she said it was amazing. My poached eggs on an English muffin were excellent. Good coffee too. The decor is nice, the prices are very reasonable and we agreed that we didn't mind forgoing the Breakfast Club at all.

I have been in this place 2 or 3 times before, but the owner and the atmosphere changed recently. The food and decoration is still fine but the service is now a disaster. The waitress and the manager are simply unfriendly and make zero effort to please consumers. Too bad! I will never be back.

I will never come back. Such a bad service! The waiters were so cold. We were waiting for ages in the middle of the restaurant. Nobody came to us. I eventually asked a waiter if we could have a table. It was like as if I offended him. He told us that we should wait for 45mn, although nobodyelse was queuing and people were living. Guys, yes you are in the Camden Passage, but do come back down to earth.

It’s a shame about Elk in the Woods, the decor is a 9/10 in Scandinavian cool. It’s the kind of front that gives you the confidence that the drinks and food are in the same calibre.
Popped in to meet a friend for a pre cinema drink. Ordering as simple drink like a vodka soda has to be the ultimate test of a quality bar, it’s a beautify refreshing drink when you get it right, a Scandinavian classic. Flat soda and the limes had been hanging around in the speed tray for a while, they had that brown edge and half fermented taste. I took the first one back and a greeted by a very frosty bar lady who told me they cut them fresh every day. Even so, I asked if she could cut me one fresh, the drink came back with the same old speed tray, brown edged limes, can’t say the soda was anymore fizzy – (and yes I did hear you chatting to the other staff, and yes I did notice, makes you cringe to be in a place like that). It was a busy day and I couldn’t be bothered with the confrontation so the disgusting drink got left, I paid my £8.00 and we left to go to another bar.
Apparently its London Cocktail week! BTW The Capirania at Fredericks round the corner was exceptional, what you expect from a cocktail in that price range.

I've always liked The Elk, but won't ever be back after a shocking experience there this week.
We were shown to a table and then, an hour or so later, the waitress presented us with our bill and told us we had to leave as the table had been booked and the customers would be arriving in ten minutes. We told her that we didn't know the table had been booked and wouldn't have ordered a bottle of wine if we did. She left and then a particularly surly waiter came to our table, who, rather than apologise for the breakdown in communication or suggest some sort of compensation for the inconvenience, told us we had to move to a communal table or leave. He raised his voice, rolled his eyes and said that he couldn't understand why we were being so awkward. When we repeated again that the booking was news to us, he threatened us and told us he'd make us leave if we didn't vacate the table.
We were rather shaken by the experience. Being spoken to like this is unacceptable on every level - particularly in the service industry.

Just popped in for a cup of tea and some lunch with a friend, and have actually come away kind of offended by the customer service.... They managed to get the first part of our order wrong (2 cups of tea). After deciding to eat elsewhere I went to pay at the till - The waitress behind the bar looked at me as if I'd just interrupted a funeral, before trying to make me pay for the wrong order. She then scoffed, took my money and left me to walk away sheepishly.
The menu looked okay, and the location and atmosphere is lovely (if you manage to avoid the icy vibes from the staff), but would never go back.